Open Days are usually: Christmas and New Year, Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive) and some weeks in August (usually leading up to the Bank Holiday weekend). The only source for definitive dates is the SPTA Newsletter linked above. All Open Days can be rescinded at short notice.

9 out of 10. Time: 7 hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 12 hours.

Transport

Westbury Station is a stop on the Paddington to Taunton Great Western Main Line, the Bristol to Weymouth Heart of Wessex Line (via Bath Spa) and the occasional service from Waterloo via Salisbury, journey time from 108 mins Mon-Fri, 102 mins Sat and 84 mins Sun. Warminster is a stop on the Bristol to Portsmouth Wessex Main Line (via Bath, Westbury and Salisbury) and also served by occasional direct services to Waterloo, journey time to London from 109 mins Sun-Fri, longer on Saturdays.

Both stations are outside the Network Southeast. Advance booking is recommended, singles or split tickets may be cheaper than a simple return. Take the train closest to 08.00 hours.

Bookended by urban stretches through Westbury and Warminster, this walk is a fascinating journey across the Imber Live Firing Range on Salisbury Plain to the abandoned village of Imber, nestled in a secluded wooded downland valley. The Plain is full of pre-historic sites and the Range an accidental wilderness as it’s been MoD property since 1898, out-of-bounds for most of the year apart from short stand downs over Christmas and Easter and for some weeks in August (most years). Either side of the Plain the route crosses five hills, three of which with notable remnants of Iron Age hillfort sites: Bratton, Scratchbury and Battlesbury Camps, and it also passes Wiltshire’s largest White Horse, at Westbury.
You get superb views across Salisbury Plain and of the surrounding countryside of Wiltshire and Somerset.
Imber was abandoned in 1943 at 47 days’ notice for training house-to-house combat in preparation for the invasion of Continental Europe and it is a haunting and evocative place like no other.

Shorter walks, starting from Bratton or Edington, or finishing in Heytesbury, involve short bus journeys.

Note: Before embarking on this walk, please read below chapters on Public Safety and Access Rights on Salisbury Plain/Imber Range and on General Health & Safety Rules for military areas and ranges

A variety of access is available on DTE SP including the Imber Range Perimeter Path (IRPP), a waymarked route ...

No access to the Imber Live Firing Range is granted to the public and all Danger Area notices and safety signs must be obeyed at all times. Nevertheless, on a limited number of days each year (usually around Christmas and New Year, over Easter and for some parts of August), access is granted to the public. The MoD publishes a monthly newsletter where details of access days can be found.

The main points:

Stick to public rights of way (i.e. the four access tracks outlined on the map in the linked leaflet); note that there are additional concrete MoD roads on the ground not shown on the OS Explorer maps, so care should be taken to ensure that you are on the designated route;

Alternative Start from Edington, further along the same bus line (01/17 price: £2.40). This cuts 5.9 km/3.7 mi and 94m ascent, and also a stretch of the Imber Range Perimeter Path. Rated 7/10.

Alternative Ending at Heytesbury, a 13 minute bus journey from Warminster (and 33 from Westbury) on line 265 (Salisbury – Bath) with an hourly service Mondays to Saturdays (01/17 price: £2.70). This cuts 8.0 km/5.0 mi and 300m ascent at the end, i.e. the most scenic part of the walk: the succession of Cotley, Scratchbury, Middle and Battlesbury Hills, two of which are notable Iron Age hillfort sites. Rated 5/10.

Tea and Biscuits are sold at St Giles, Imber church on most of the Open Days (14.4 km/9.0 mi).

Tea

HeytesburyThe Angel Inn High Street, BA12 0AD (01985 840 330). Open all day every day. Dinner served 18.30-21.30 Mon-Sat.
The Red Lion 42A High Street, BA12 0EA (01985 840 315). Open all day every day. Dinner served 18.00-21.00 daily.